First home buyers in Whangarei 'just stopped looking’

Whangarei has seen a big upswing in activity from first home buyers after they were stopped in their tracks by the CCCFA regulations, says Steve Sharp, branch manager for Barfoot & Thompson.

Since the rules were relaxed, first-home buyers have been out and about again and the falling market has made homes more affordable for them, he says.

The first home buyer price range is now around $500,000 to $800,000 in the city and there are plenty of options in that range.

But while Sharp has noticed a big upswing in activity, it’s not full force yet.

“The problem is, once you stop something people get out of the habit so when the CCCFA came in first time buyers just stopped looking.

“To get them moving again, it's not something that happens instantly. It’s going to take a while for us to build back up to the point where we were before.”

First-home buyer locations in Whangarei include Tikipunga, Morningside, Otaika, Horahora and also Hikurangi, which is a little bit out of town.

Buyers are likely to be able to pick up a 1960s weatherboard home or a former state home on a decent section, Sharp says.

Further north in Kaitaia, Gerard Ponsonby, LJ Hooker franchise owner, reports a quiet first home buyer market, mainly because there are so few listings.

First home buyer stock there goes for under $400,000 but people with those homes aren’t listing because there’s nothing for them to move into, he says.

“There are no options for people to shift to so they’re not putting it on the market. We’ve got people on our database waiting but the options are not there.”

Ponsonby tells buyers to be patient, saying he’s never seen it so quiet but he expects the market to pick up in spring.

Gary Steed, managing director for Ray White Kaitaia, however, says the first home buyer market is still active, adding that there are opportunities for them and that they never left the market.

Most of the homes in Kaitaia are affordable, he says, so there is a good range of properties for first-home buyers, and there are also opportunities in Kaikohe, Ahipara and Awanui, north of Kaitaia.

“There are opportunities in most of the markets, it just depends [on] where they want to live.”

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